Harry Potter And The Calux Curse
by Brockster550
Summary: A mysterious curse has begun striking Little Whinging, and now Harry and the Dursleys must deal with it by looking for clues on it's origin... mostly the Dursleys. How will they put an end to it? Read on to find out. The story will be told by Xander Scamander. 'On an indefinite hiatus.'
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: All I own is this fanfic, the OC Xander Scamander belongs to 5UP3RN0V4. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling, no copyright intended!_

**Author's note 1: This story was requested by 5UP3RN0V4. Another story where there is no predetermined pairing for Harry. The story will take place a few weeks into Harry and Dudley's final year at St. Grogery's Primary School. The plot of this story is based on the movie 'Blumhouse's Truth Or Dare,' so if you haven't seen the movie, hit the back button if you don't want to be spoiled. Naturally, this story is also in collaboration with 5UP3RN0V4. Rated T for now, may go up depending on the circumstances.**

Harry Potter And The Calux Curse

Fanfic by Brockster550

**Prologue**

**A Mysterious Phenomenon**

One afternoon in late September 1990, somewhere in the outskirts of London, a speeding lime-green station wagon was driving up to a gas station for a pit stop, or so it seemed. After the vehicle pulled up into the parking lot and into an empty spot, a woman who appeared to be in her mid or late 30s got out in a hurry and inside. The gas station clerk (who was a man in his late 30s or early 40s with brown hair turning gray) spotted the anxious-looking woman walking up to the counter in a fast pace.

"May I help you?" the clerk asked the woman.

"Please, sir," the woman asked calmly, yet nervously, "can I get a pack of cigarettes?"

"Well, I suppose…" the clerk began saying before all of a sudden (from the woman's point of view), a mischievous grin began forming across his face, his eyes glowed red, and his voice sounding distorted. "Truth or Dare, Emily?"

"Please!" Emily, which appeared to be the woman's name, desperately begged, "I don't want to play anymore! Please!"

"Truth... Or... Dare?" repeated the mysterious voice coming from the gas station clerk.

Soon, after she made her choice, Emily immediately picked up the nearest container of lighter fluid and started squirting the flammable liquid on the woman, much to the clerk's confusion (who had returned to normal). The woman who was soaked in the lighter fluid gasped in horror when Emily brought out a box of matches, grabbed one, and lit it up.

"NO, PLEASE!" the woman screamed in a pleading manner.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," Emily apologized. "I don't have a choice!"

With a trembling arm, Emily dropped the match on the woman, setting her ablaze. The woman screamed desperately as she started flailing her arms around and running outside, then using the 'stop, drop and roll' technique to put the fire out. The woman burning in flames caused the other customers (and the clerk) to help in trying to put the fire out, allowing Emily to make a run for it, clearly upset for what she had to do. Now guys, you're probably wondering why Emily would be crazy enough to set an innocent woman on fire in public, where there were witnesses. Well, to answer that, my friends, I shall be telling you a story about how one innocent looking game turned into a struggle for survival. My name is Xander Scamander, and this is a story about the Calux Curse.

_To be continued!_

**Author's note 2: The main idea for the epilogue was all 5UP3RN0V4's, though I helped in coming up with the dialogue for it.**


	2. Chapter 1: The Search For Clues

_Disclaimer: As usual, all I own is this fanfic. The OC Xander Scamander belongs to 5UP3RN0V4. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling, no copyright intended!_

**Author's note 1: Again, 5UP3RN0V4 and I apologize for any inconvenience! We felt the need to do some more proofreading to ensure that we were happy with the chapter.**

**Chapter 1: The Search For Clues**

It was September 29th around 9:30 AM, and a family of four people (a fifth one being a guest) were out in London. They were visiting the Science Museum of London and one particular boy (who had untidy black hair, emerald-green eyes hidden behind a pair of full-moon glasses, and a stick-skinny frame hidden underneath hand-me-down rags several sizes too big) had a neutral expression on his face. He lifted his bangs to scratch his forehead because of a mild itch and doing so momentarily revealed a lightning-bolt shaped scar (which was hidden again after the boy stopped scratching), which meant that this boy was named Harry Potter. He was keeping a reasonable distance from his relatives, for good reason.

'No funny business! No funny business!' Harry mentally reminded himself. 'Both Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia told me so! I'd better stay away from Dudley and Piers, too. I know it wouldn't do good to tempt them into their favourite hobby of beating 'the freak' up. As long as I don't go too close, they won't find loopholes to use as excuses to punish me.'

Harry looked over at his cousin, Dudley with resentment. The Dursley boy was a portly, blonde haired boy who was very fat, even for a ten-year-old. That was because Dudley would drink excessive amounts of soft drinks and rarely any water, and eat insanely huge amounts of junk food and rarely any healthier foods. Dudley also hated exercise unless it involved punching someone, exactly why Harry was keeping his distance. Piers was a scrawny boy with a rat-like face, he was Dudley's best friend (and second-in-command) and would usually hold victims arms back to allow Dudley to punch them. In fact, Harry eyed his aunt and uncle with resentment.

'While it feels good to go someplace that isn't school, the cupboard, nor Mrs. Figg's living room,' thought Harry. 'I know I was only allowed to tag along reluctantly because Mrs. Figg turned out to get sick. I'm always blamed for any form of bad deed or bad luck.'

Harry, Piers and the Dursleys continued walking around in the museum. It was about half past 11:00 AM when Dudley and Piers decided to touch a skeletal sculpture of a tyrannosaurus rex, ignoring the warning sign saying, 'Do not touch!' The two bullies whacked it with their palms to with everything they had to make it collapse, in front of several eyewitnesses (including Harry). The incident caused a great deal of pandemonium, especially when Dudley and Piers started mock crying. Petunia did what she could to comfort her son and his friend while Vernon glared at Harry.

"Hold it right there!" shouted a voice the Dursley patriarch recognized. Vernon looked up and spotted a familiar man with brown hair and blue eyes, who appeared to be in his late 20s or early 30s. That man was me, Xander Scamander.

"Ah, Xander, I didn't expect to…" Vernon began greeting me. Why he would know me, you ask? Answer: I happen to be his supervisor at his workplace, a company called Grunnings, a place that specializes in making drills. But let's skip that for now. Back to the real situation: me saving Harry's butt from being kicked.

"Not now, Vernon," I said to my boss. "Anyway, Harry didn't knock that skeleton down, it was your son and his friend who…"

"Can't you help get us out of this?" Vernon begged.

"As long as you don't punish Harry," I informed my boss. "I know your son and his friend are the real culprits."

Harry was confused by that revelation, this was one of the few times where somebody tried to help him. The raven-haired boy never counted on his luck being good. Everytime he tried getting help in the past, he would get in trouble while Dudley and his gang got off scot-free (same with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia). At that moment, the owner of the museum (who was a brown hair turning gray middle aged man) showed up to confront the Dursleys.

"The video surveillance footage showed the two being the ones to knock the sculpture over," stated the owner to Vernon, pointing his finger at Dudley and Piers. "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way!"

"Wait, how about if I pay for the damages on their behalf?" I offered to the man.

"Alright," said the owner, accepting the offer. "But I would suggest those kids stay away for a while at least."

"And you two," I said sternly, giving Dudley and Piers an adamant look. "You two better apologize to Harry.

"Sorry!" Dudley and Piers told Harry simultaneously, in snide voices.

"Try again," I insisted, again in a stern voice. "Same words! Better mean it this time!"

Looking at Dudley and Piers, then facing the owner again, Vernon and Petunia nodded their heads in acknowledgement. While Dudley and Piers managed to apologize for real, the owner faced me and handed me a slip of paper with all the damages done (with me widening my eyes in surprise when I saw that Dudley and Piers caused one million pounds worth of damages). I wrote up a check for that very amount and gave it to the owner before leaving. Then the Dursleys left the museum with Harry, Dudley and Piers. As they were driving away, I felt my insides reacting strongly at the thought that Vernon would only let Harry off the hook… for now. This resulted in me following them from a reasonable distance in my car. Me pulled over at the west end of Privet Drive and observed the Dursleys by looking through a pair of binoculars. Once I felt certain that Vernon and Petunia were keeping their end of the bargain, I drove away and back to London (while knowing that I'll need to help Harry sooner or later). Back inside the Dursleys house, Vernon eyed Harry (who was sitting on a sofa in the living room) with a not-too-pleased look on his face.

"Alright, boy," Vernon started, rounding on Harry. "You know how we always punished you if anything were to go wrong?"

"Yes, sir!" Harry responded, nodding his head.

"However," Uncle Vernon continued, "considering that my supervisor offered to help us out today, I've decided to let this incident slide today."

"Thank you!" said Harry gratefully, blowing a sigh of relief.

"And," Vernon went on, startling Harry a little. "since Xander seemed to have shown an interest in you, along with the fact that he's been asking me to meet you, you will be joining me at work tomorrow. This will be a valuable experience for you, since Xander has a talent for talking some sense into troubled little ruffians like you. But I'm warning you now, boy. Any funny business at all, and you'll be in a lot of trouble. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes sir." said Harry.

"Good, now get out before I change my mind." said Vernon, pointing to the kitchen door with his thumb. Harry nodded his head before getting up and quickly leaving the living room.

/Scene break\

I continued driving back to London and eventually, I reached a seemingly abandoned building. I smiled, knowing that this was the wizarding tavern known as The Leaky Cauldron. It was hidden from no-majs, who'll only see it as an abandoned building. For those of you who british, No-maj is the American term for muggle. I happen to be a member of the Magical Congress of America. The reason I was on my way to The Leaky Cauldron was to ask a witch named Professor Minerva McGonagall to meet me at that bar. She happened to have sent me a letter asking for help the other day.

(Xander's flashback)

It was seven days before and I was working at an office at Grunnings, going over some paperwork. I also happen to be an employee of the Magical Congress of the United States of America. The congress is in the nation's capital, Washington D.C. (or District of Columbia). I had been instructed by the congress to work undercover at Grunnings (which I had been for several years and still ongoing) after hearing about a deal for the Grunnings drill-manufacturing company to expand to the US. My office at Grunnings was located on the ninth floor, adjacent to my boss, Vernon's office. I heard a tapping sound coming from the window. I looked up and saw a tawny owl with a letter in it's beak, indicating that I was getting mail. I went to relieve the owl of it's burden and I found a letter from Professor McGonagall, so I opened it to read it, which said:

_Dear Mr. Scamander,_

_I need your assistance, if you please_:

_As you likely know, Lily and James Potter had been killed all those years ago, whereas their son, Harry, was placed in an unwanted environment. I have a feeling that he's not living the life Albus Dumbledore has been claiming since that night when Lord Voldemort lost all his power. The reason I'm asking is because I've heard rumors about you having a desire to work with abused children and try to get them placed in better environments. If you're able to, could you help me out in getting Harry away from the Dursleys? Several times I went to check on Harry and saw him running away from five, much bigger kids, and other times I saw him working in his aunt's garden in hot, summer weather. I've tried explaining to Albus like six times that Harry was getting abused, but he assumed that I was exaggerating and claiming Harry's aunt wouldn't do anything to a child who shared her blood. The most recent day I went to check on Harry was earlier this morning and Harry's uncle mentioned something about you working for the company. It was when I spied on them through an open window, where I spotted Harry cooking breakfast and his relatives giving him the cold shoulder when they'd eat, not even bothering to praise him for his hard work, instead being ordered to leave and head back to what I heard was the cupboard under the stairs. Hope you can get back to me as soon as possible._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall; Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

I looked at the letter in shock. I knew about Dumbledore's misdirection games, since sometimes before I even started my undercover work, I had to deliver some paperwork to Madam Amelia Bones, who was head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the London Ministry. She was even the head of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Bones. During some of my visits to the London Ministry I'd hear certain people talking about Dumbledore and this thing of his called 'The Greater Good,' and most of that was from the other heads of Most Ancient and Most Noble Houses.

I even remember reading in several stories in the wizarding world where Harry Potter was mentioned having defeated Lord Voldemort, or You-Know-Who/He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as most of the wizards and witches called him because they were still afraid to say the name.

'Harry, placed in an abusive environment?' I thought, widening my eyes in shock and feeling my stomach twisting in fright and disgust.

The image was more than enough to make me want to puke. I put the letter in my desk to make sure my boss didn't knock on my door and risk him getting suspicious. Then I walked out of my office and into a restroom, where I proceeded to… well… puke.

(End of flashback)

I drove on to find a parking lot a little further away, not wanting any no-majs to see a car parked by the supposedly abandoned building and getting suspicious. Once I was inside the wizarding bar, I found a table and sat down, got out some parchment and a pen to start writing a letter to Professor McGonagall. She's the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After a few minutes, I went to proofread my letter to make sure I was satisfied with it, which read:

_Dear Professor McGonagall,_

_I have received your message a while back, and I must say that you did the right thing notifying me that day. There is something we need to talk about, and it's better if this is done face to face. Would you please meet me at The Leaky Cauldron as soon as possible? This is rather urgent and you'll be shocked to learn what the matter is, since this involves Harry Potter. I apologize for not getting back to you earlier, but I really had to do a little investigating myself and pay attention to any signs. Thank you for your cooperation!_

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Xander Scamander_

"Jarvis!" I called. A house elf wearing a suit apparated to me.

"Did master calls Jarvis?" asked my house elf.

"Yes, I did." I assured in a soft voice, handing him the letter. "Would you take this to Professor McGonagall, please?!"

"Yes, master Xander," Jarvis told me in an obedient voice. "Jarvis will gets his task taken cares of!"

Jarvis disapparated to deliver the letter to the Hogwarts deputy headmistress. Approximately five to ten minutes later, I spotted the tavern fireplace activating in the form of emerald-green flames flaring up and out stepped Professor McGonagall, who was a stern-looking witch wearing emerald-green robes and square-shaped spectacles. After the flames deactivated, I waved over to Minerva and she spotted me, then she walked over and took a seat across from me.

"Thank you for showing up tonight, Professor McGonagall!" I told her in a grateful tone of voice.

"You're welcome, Xander," the deputy headmistress told me. "So how is he?"

"Harry?" I responded, then I pulled my wand out and cast some privacy wards around the table to ensure that no one else could hear our discussion. "Oh, he's not doing well. I was utterly shocked when you told me that he's been suffering abusive treatment for much of his life! I saw Harry with his relatives at the Science Museum of London earlier today, and his reactions to getting blamed for his cousin and his friend deliberately knocking over some exhibit. That proved that indeed, you were right that Harry has been abused all along!"

"I knew it!" Professor McGonagall spoke in a matter-of-fact voice. "I watched them that whole day in my animagus form! The Dursleys' son had been demanding for sweets, not to mention also kicking and screaming when something didn't go his way when they left for a walk. I even warned Albus what kind of people those muggles were, but he wouldn't listen!"

"Why did Dumbledore leave Harry in an abusive environment anyway?" I asked.

"Not much is known," stated Professor McGonagall. "All he kept telling me was that it was for something he called The Greater Good!"

"Honestly, what's up with him and this entire 'Greater Good' bullshit?!" I asked, trying to keep my outrage in check.

"Albus didn't tell me what all was involved, but he just insisted that Harry would be safer with his relatives, despite my warning." Professor McGonagall continued. "His claim that the Dursleys were the only family Harry had is quite ironic. There were, and still are plenty of families out there in our world who wanted to look after Harry themselves!"

"Indeed, something has to be done," I told Minerva. "If Harry continues to stay in the same environment, who knows what could happen."

"Any idea what could be done to get Harry out?" Minvera asked me.

"One possible idea, and it's on this paper." I informed the deputy headmistress, handing her a newspaper that had the article explaining what happened with Emily a while back.

"Oh!" Professor McGonagall responded after she finished reading the article, then she looked me in the eye again. "So I suppose we have to count on… him?!"

"No worries, professor," I assured Minerva, considering that I once told her about the mysterious phenomenon. "By the time _he_ is done with them, they will never ever consider treating anyone like dirt ever again!"

"Indeed!" said Professor McGonagall, agreeing with my discussion. "I'd better get back to Hogwarts before Albus starts getting suspicious again."

"Alright, thank you, Professor McGonagall, for taking the time to discuss this with me!" I told the deputy headmistress in a grateful tone of voice. "And thank you for asking the Magical Congress of America to have me sent here to do undercover work!"

"Anytime, Mr. Scamander," Professor McGonagall told me. "I'm happy to help somebody who was one of my top students."

The deputy headmistress walked back over to the fireplace to floo back to Hogwarts. I walked out the front door and back over to my car. I smiled as I continued walking, because I couldn't get the thought of Vernon finding out my real identity out of my mind. The way his face would look once it happened. Neither Harry nor the Dursleys had any knowledge that something unspeakable was going to happen to them, very soon!

_To be continued!_

**Author's note 2: A big shoutout to 5UP3RN0V4 for most of the ideas in this chapter. Some of my ideas include Xander's flashback, Dudley and Piers knocking the skeletal t-rex sculpture down, Xander revealing that he saw the whole thing and that Harry was innocent, and coming up with more dialogue in 5UP3RN0V4's starting dialogue at the starting scenes.**


	3. Chapter 2: Xander's Surprise For Harry

_Disclaimer: As usual, all I own is this fanfic. The OC Xander Scamander belongs to 5UP3RN0V4, while everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling. No copyright intended!_

**Chapter 2: Xander's Surprise For Harry**

The next morning at 5:30 AM, Petunia got up, rudely knocked on the cupboard door and forced Harry to cook breakfast, as usual. It was half an hour later when Vernon entered the kitchen, at which time Harry was cooking the bacon. After Dudley came waddling in and placed his bottom on a dining chair, Harry set the plates of food in front of his so-called family and then being banished back into his cupboard while they ate gloatingly. At 6:30 AM, the cupboard door opened and Vernon poked his head in.

"Alright, boy," the Dursley patriarch spoke through gritted teeth, in a threatening voice. "You'd better start getting ready. There'll be trouble if you waste time, kapeesh?"

Harry nodded his head frantically, then Vernon left the cupboard. Getting dressed wasn't terribly difficult for Harry, but keeping his hand-me-down rags from slipping down was difficult due to them being five sizes too big for the raven-haired boy, forcing him to use a belt to keep his overly-large trousers in place. Even though Harry _did_ get dressed rather quickly and brush his teeth, Vernon still gave him a glare. Harry knew that the Dursleys always managed to find loopholes, just to find any excuse to punish 'the freak.'

/Scene break\ (Xander's point of view)

I was just arriving for work at Grunnings and pulled into the parking lot that was in front of the nine-story building. As I made my way to my office on the ninth floor, I noticed my boss, Vernon having brought his nephew along. While I was relieved inwardly, I kept a professional attitude and look on my face to prevent my boss from getting suspicious. I had to work my job, not just to pass the time before making my move. It also helped in preventing Vernon from getting suspicious anytime we passed each other in the halls to delivery reports to different co-workers or the owner of Grunnings. Eventually, I checked my watch and saw that lunchtime would be arriving in fifteen to twenty minutes, so I reported to Vernon's office and knocked on the door to give him some more paperwork.

"Come in!" Vernon called from the other side of the door.

"I've got the rest of the paperwork finished." I informed my boss, handing the stack of paper to him.

"Excellent!" said Vernon, taking the paperwork from my hand. Then he turned to face Harry. "I've brought the boy with me, since you took an interest in him. But I'd better get this paperwork faxed before lunch."

"Would you like me to wait here or should I take him to my office to talk some sense into him?" I asked my boss.

"Well, when I get back, I'll need to make some phone calls," stated Vernon. "If you talk some sense into the boy in that office that's hardly used, it might cause less distraction."

"Indeed, that can be done." I responded in agreement.

Once Vernon left his office to run his errand, I nodded my head at Harry to encourage him to follow me. He looked at me with a look that meant that he recognized me. I formed a smile on my face with relief that he remembered and got up to follow me. Once we were in the office that's hardly used, Harry sat down on a chair in front of the desk while I sat in the seat behind it.

"I know you, sir," Harry responded. "You were the one who stood up for me at the museum the other day."

"That I am, Harry," I told him, then I held a hand out. "I'm Xander Scamander!"

"It's nice to meet you, Xander." said Harry as he got up and shook my hand.

"And it's nice to finally meet you at last, Harry," I said while keeping my voice friendly sounding, while Harry sat back down. "A.K.A. the Boy-Who-Lived."

Harry raised an eyebrow with a confused look on his face. I suspected that by the look, he didn't know what exactly I was talking about. This wasn't pleasing me at all, but I kept my anger in check for Harry's sake.

"The Boy Who Lived?!" Harry asked me in bewilderment. "I don't remember being in a deadly situation."

"That's because you only a baby when that happened." I informed Harry. When he didn't say anything for thirty seconds, I continued on, "Have you ever wondered why your own relatives hate you for no reason whatsoever?"

"No," Harry told me as he shook his head while forming a frown. "I was always forbidden to ask questions, regardless of how good any of them were."

"Well, that's because you're something special, Harry," I said. "Let me ask you something, what do you know about a school called Hogwarts?"

"Nothing," said Harry with a frown. "I don't think there is such a school."

"There is, Harry," I assured him. "I knew Ms. McGonagall made the right choice in sending me here to London!"

"Who's Ms. McGonagall?" Harry asked me.

"I guess it's time to let the cat out of the bag," I informed Harry. "There's something the Dursleys kept from you all this time."

"Which is…?" said Harry.

"Who you really _are_!" I told Harry.

"Who am I really?" Harry eagerly asked me.

"Well, this'll be a big shock to you, Harry," I started explaining. Then I took a deep breath, "But, you're a wizard, Harry."

"I-I'm a what?!" asked Harry incredulously.

"A wizard, Harry," I repeated myself. "And a really good one, I'll wager, once you've been trained up a bit. In fact, with the right training, you may even become one of the best of the best wizards."

"I'm sorry, Xander, but I think you made a mistake," Harry told me. "I mean, I can't be a… a wizard. I mean I'm just… Harry. Just Harry."

"Is that so?" I asked Harry, as I wasn't convinced one bit. After all, I can't really blame him for that. "Well, 'Just Harry,' let me ask you something, if you please. Did you ever make anything happen? Anything you couldn't explain when you were angry or scared?"

"Hmmm!" Harry responded as he thought for a moment. "Now that you brought that up, I remember accidentally turning one of my teacher's hair blue. I also remember Aunt Petunia cutting off all my hair to where I was almost bald. She left the bangs to keep my scar hidden, only for my hair to return to it's previous state overnight."

"I see. Well, if you'd like, Harry," I offered. "I can tell you everything there is as to who you really are."

"Yes, please," said Harry, quickly accepting my offer. "I'd like to know everything!"

"I knew you'd make the right choice, Harry," I told him, keeping my voice soft and friendly. "But, we must find someplace else to talk about this matter. Your uncle may insist on me talking some sense into you, but I'm positive he'll still come to check on us during lunch break."

"Are you suggesting that…?" Harry began asking, becoming speechless.

"That we go someplace more private without risking any slip ups," I finished it for Harry. "But first…" Harry and I got up and walked back to my boss's office. As soon as we walked under the doorway, Vernon had just finished a phone call, since he'd just hung up.

"Xander, what a surprise!" said Vernon in bewilderment. "How's it going with Harry?"

"He's a bit difficult, but we're getting there," I assured my boss as he nodded his head. "But I must ask you for a favor."

"I'm listening." said Vernon.

"I must go someplace outside of Grunnings," I informed Vernon. He nodded his head as a way of telling me to continue. "While that room you suggested is hardly used, but the way I talk sense into ruffians like, well it's none of our co-worker's business and it wouldn't do any good for them to hear it."

"Yes, you make a good point," said Vernon after thinking it over for a moment. "Alright, you may take Harry someplace more private. But be back here before it's time to close up, is that clear?"

"Yes, I won't let you down, sir." I assured my boss.

Once Harry was ready, I started showing him downstairs and outside over to my car. Harry got inside in the front passenger seat with a grin on his face, while I got in on the driver's seat. I could tell that Harry was enjoying himself sitting up front, to the point where I deduced that Dudley always got that when there were times where he and his parents had an outing. After starting up my car, I drove out of the parking lot and on our way to The Leaky Cauldron. Once I managed to spot the parking lot close by the wizarding tavern, I pulled in and found a parking spot. Harry developed a confused look on his face as soon as he got out.

"We're going to a wizarding tavern called The Leaky Cauldron," I told him with a whisper. "Don't worry, no muggles will be able to see it."

Harry nodded his head to prove that he understood my words. Then he followed me as I started walking to the front door to The Leaky Cauldron. The wizarding tavern was 75% crowded, from what I had just observed. After making sure Harry was still following behind me, I started walking towards the counter where Tom the innkeeper was. He was an old, toothless wizard with gray balding hair.

"Ah, Mr. Scamander!" Tom greeted me. "What may I do for you today?"

"A private room, please," I started informing Tom. "This is a matter that can't be brought up out here. Also, if you see Minerva, please show her to the room."

"You got it!" Tom responded cheerfully. "Anything to make sure one of Minerva's favourite former students needs all the privacy he can get."

So Tom showed me and Harry over to a private room. I was careful not to let Tom know who it was following me since I didn't want Harry to get overwhelmed with unwanted attention because of his Boy-Who-Lived fame. Once we were in the room, Harry sat down on a chair in front of the desk while I sat down in the chair behind it. Then I got out some parchment, an ink bottle and a quill so I could write a letter to inform Minerva where Harry and I were.

"Jarvis!" I called out after finishing and proofreading the letter.

"Did master Xander call for Jarvis?" asked the house elf once he appeared with a pop.

"Yes, could you take this to Minerva please?" I asked him.

"Yes, Jarvis will get master's duties fulfilled!" assured the house-elf before he disapparated.

"That was a house-elf, Harry," I explained to the raven-haired boy. "Their purpose is to serve their masters and/or mistresses like servants."

"Are there any free ones?" asked Harry.

"Yes, but that's worse than serving, unless they get abused," I began explaining the house elves' role to Harry. "Then they'll want to leave, but they can only be freed if their masters and/or mistresses present them with clothes. If they get set free, they'll gradually start losing their magical powers. If they can't find another master and/or mistress to bond with after a year of being set free, they'll die."

Harry nodded his head to show that he understood my explanation. It was another five minutes later when I saw Minerva open the door and walking in. Upon spotting me, she cast some privacy and locking charms on the door to ensure that we wouldn't be disturbed. Then Minerva sat down in a chair next to the one Harry was still seated on, and seeing him in those filthy rags didn't please the Hogwarts deputy headmistress. I could tell she was keeping her temper in check for Harry's sake.

"Hello, Mr. Potter, I'm Professor Minerva McGonagall, deputy headmistress of Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry!" Professor McGonagall greeted as she introduced herself, holding a hand out at Harry. "I'm also the school's transfiguration teacher _and_ head of Gryffindor House."

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am," Harry replied as he shook the deputy head's hand. "If I may ask, what exactly is Gryffindor?"

"That's one of the four houses you may be sorted into once you get to attend," Minerva started explaining. "The other three houses are Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each one has it's own values and each one has housed some great wizards and witches. Mr. Scamander here was a Hufflepuff student."

"Yes!" I confirmed it while nodding my head at Harry.

"What are the values of each house?" asked Harry.

"Gryffindor House values bravery and courage, it's house colours are red and gold, with a lion being the house symbol," Minerva went on with her explanation. "Hufflepuff House values loyalty and hard work, it's house colours being yellow and black, with a badger being it's house symbol. Ravenclaw House values Intelligence and Wisdom, it's house colours being blue and bronze, with an eagle being their house symbol. The last house, Slytherin values cunning and resourcefulness, it's house colours are green and silver, with a serpent being their house symbol."

"We can explain more later, Harry," I told him. "We're here to help you get away from the Dursleys. It won't be able to happen right away because I have a trick up my sleeve I'd like to use, first."

"Okay," said Harry as he remembered. "But will Professor McGonagall help?"

"Harry, I've checked up on you several times!" Minerva revealed. "You remember that cat you saw close by your aunt's garden?"

"That was you?!" asked Harry, widening his eyes in surprise.

"Yes, Harry," Minerva assured him. "That cat you saw was my animagus form. An animagi is a type of magic where wizards and witches can transform into an animal at will."

"I see," said Harry as he nodded his head with realization. "Is that part of the plan to get me away from the Dursleys?"

"Yes, Harry," I told him. "But most of it involves something related to a game called truth or dare. Sometimes Minerva can use her animagus form to her advantage in going undercover by pretending to be a real cat."

"As long as she stays away from my cousin and his gang," stated Harry. "But they don't really exercise much, so Professor McGonagall can just run away when and if the threat worsens."

"Of course!" I agreed. Then I checked the time on my watch and faced Minerva. "Sorry to cut this shirt, but Harry and I need to return to Grunnings."

"Alright, Xander," Minerva told me as she nodded her head in understanding. "Good luck with the plan. If it's needed, I'd be glad to help out."

So Minerva got up and left the room. Then Harry and I got up and left the tavern (once again making sure I don't reveal Harry's real identity to avoid him becoming overwhelmed). Then Harry and started walking back to my car and got in. As I continued driving Harry and myself back to Grunnings, I started pondering my thoughts to think of how I'd succeed in luring the Dursleys into playing the game.

_To be continued!_

**Author's note: A big shoutout to '5UP3RN0V4' for suggesting that Vernon bring Harry with him to work (and the dialogue provided), Xander taking Harry to The Leaky Cauldron during lunchtime and Professor McGonagall meeting up with them, too. While I came up with the dialogue between Xander, Harry and Minerva in their private room, the main idea goes to 5UP3RN0V4.**


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